Machine for making bands for railroad-springs



(No Model.)

J. PALMER.

MACHINE ]EOR- MAKING BANDS FOR RAILROAD SPRINGS. No. 273,302. PatentedMar.6,1883.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

JQSEPH PALMER, OF CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

MACHINE FOR MAKING BANDS FOR RAILROAD-SPRINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 273,302, dated March 6,18 8 Application filed August 28, 1882. (No model.)

Bands for Railroad-Springs; and I do herebydeclarethatthefollowingisafull,clear,andexact description of the same,reference being bad to the annexed drawings, making a part of thisspecification,.and to the letters and figv in position.

ures of reference marked thereon.

My invention is designed to facilitate the manufacture of therectangular bands whielr encircle the center of sets of railroad-springsto hold the leaves firmly in place.

The ordinary method of making these bands has been to bend them intoshape from the straight bar of iron by repeated blows with the hammerover an anvil-former; and my invention is intended to substitute forthis slow and laborious operation a means for rapidly and easily bendingthem into shape and Welding the ends by the appliances hereinafterdescribed.

My improvement may be operated by several well-known mechanical devices;but I have chosen a power-press as being the best adapted for allpurposes.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a press adaptedto theuse of the invention, and to which the devices hereinafter mentioned areapplied. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the press, showing the positionof the parts prepared especially for use in the method employed. Fig. 3is a plan of the under side of the upper die-block as disconnected fromthe press and turned over, so as to show the dies Fig. 4 is a plan ofthe lower dieblock, showing the lower dies in position. Fig. 5represents the iron blank in process of manufacture, after receiving theimpression of the dies. into shape by the formers and ready for welding. p

The upper die-block, Fig. 3, is a casting of suitable shape, hollowedthrough its centerlongitudinally from the end 0 for a sufficientdistance to allow the insertion crosswise of suitable dies, the sides ofthe die-block being left of proper height to secure the dies in place byFig. 6 shows the blank after being bent.

means of set-screws or other effective fastenlng.

The dies 1) b b are made separate, and can be moved within the die-blockby loosening the set-screws, so as to be adapted for the size of bandrequired; or, if preferred, the diesmay be made in sets suited tothe'ditferent-sized bands in common use. The dies in the upper die-blockare of hardened steel, and are of the kind known as male dies, theirprojections being formed to fit the channels in the female dies in thelower die-block. The end e,forming the scarfer of the upper die-block,is of hardened steel, attached to the die-block a by screw-bolts orother sufficient fastening, and in working shuts down closely, like ashearblade, against the inside of the steel scart'er c in the lowerdie-block. Upon the inside of this scarfer c is affixed a projection asa gage formeasurin g the scarf to be removed, and to the side of thepress above is'rigidly affixed a Y downward-projecting guard, h, forpurposes hereinafterexplained. At the other end of the upper die-block aright-angled female die or former, d, extends sufficiently to project atone side of the press, as seen in Fig. 2, so as to be conveniently usedfor finishing the forming of the hands after the blanks have passedbetween the dies.

The lower die-block, Fig. 4, is preferably cast somewhat broader andheavier than the upper, but is similarly recessed to receive the femaledies b b b, corresponding in position and arrangement to the male dies bb b in the upper die-block. The dies b b b are secured by set-screws n12% in a similar manner to the dies in the upper die-block, and theirrelative position can be changed at pleasure; or they may be made insets, as beforementioned.

The steel scarfer c is beveled on the inside edge, so as to bring thecutting-edge made by the shutting down of the scarferc about onehalfinch below its top. A right-angled male die or former, g, projects atone end immediately beneath and fitting the female former d when inposition on the press, and is of suitable size to allow-the blanks to bemoved around it while forming the angles and during the welding.

A suitable gage, r, at the inside end of the former g prevents the blankfrom moving in that direction when laid upon the dies, and the distancefrom this gage to the center of the first die measures oneside of thefinished band, with due allowance for the scarf used in weldmg.

In operation the upper and lower die-blocks are firmly attired to thepress, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The dies 1 b I) and I) b b areproperly adjusted according to the size of the bands which are to bemade, and securelyfastened by the set-screws. The press is operated bysteam or other power, and is preferably antomatic in movement, so thatit may work continuously at such rate of speed as will allow theconvenient insertion and removal of the blanks between each stroke. Theblanks are first cut from flat bar-iron of proper width, and of theright length to form a complete hand when bent and welded, and, beingproperly heated in a furnace, are placed singly between the dies in thepress, one end being pressed against the gage r. One stroke of the presscreases it, as shown in Fig. 5, marking it correctly for three of thecorners of the rectangle. It is then taken from the dies and one endplaced under the guard h and pushed up against the gage attlxed to thescarfer c. A stroke of the press bends the end downward into the bevelon the scarfer c, and the shearing-edges of the two searfers c and 0remove any excess of material, leaving a scarf ot'proper width andthickness for welding. The guard It prevents the throwing up of theother end of the blank while scarfing the end in the press. The 0ppositeend of the blank is then submitted to the operation of the scarferin thesame manner. The blank is then placed across the former g,

the first crease being on the uppermost edge. The upper former, d,descending, bonds the blank and forms two sides of the band. The nextcrease is then moved forward, and astroke of the press makes a thirdside. The third. crease is then placed over the center of the former g,andtheformerd brings the two searfed ends together, one within theother, ready for welding, as in Fig. 6. The hlankin that form issubsequently reheated, and the welding quickly and neatly completed byslipping the band upon the formerg and submitting the corner to bewelded to the pressure of the upper former; or, if preferred, thewelding may he done under a trip-hammer.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. For the man nfacture of hands for railroadsprings, the combination ofthe dies for creasing and marking the blanks, the scarfers for scarfing,and the formers for bending the blanks into the' required rectangularform, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination, the upper and lower dieblocks, a 0, male and femaledies 1) b b, b I) b, projecting formers d g, and scarfers c 0,substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH PALMER.

"Witnesses:

ARTHUR W. SiLsnY, EDGAR, H. WOODMAN.

